The story of Belgrade Fortress

For most of its history, Belgrade was this fortress. The Celtic Scordisci founded Singidunum here in the 3rd century BC, and the Romans' Legio IV Flavia Felix, stationed here from 86 AD, built the first stone fort in the city's history.

Goths, Huns, Avars, Byzantines, Bulgarians, Hungarians and Serbs all held it in turn; the name Belgrade, white town, first appears in 878. In 1402 Despot Stefan Lazarević made it the capital of Serbia and rebuilt the ramparts. In 1456 John Hunyadi repelled Sultan Mehmed II here, but in 1521 the fortress fell to the Ottomans and remained theirs, apart from short Austrian and Serbian periods, until 1867. During Austrian rule in 1718–1738 it was largely rebuilt as a modern Baroque fortress, and much of what you see today dates from then.

Standing on a ridge 125.5 metres high above the confluence, it was declared a monument of exceptional importance in 1979 and draws over 2 million visitors a year.